This study investigates the distinction between brittle and ductile yielding in soft materials, introducing a parameter called the "britttility factor" to describe the transition from solid-like to liquid-like behavior. Soft materials, known as yield stress fluids (YSFs), exhibit varying yielding behaviors, with some transitioning gradually and others abruptly. The key rheological signatures of brittle yielding include stress overshoots in steady-shear-startup tests and a steep increase in the loss modulus during oscillatory amplitude sweeps. The study shows that the brittility factor, which reflects the material's ability to recover from deformation, influences the rate of yielding. A higher brittility factor indicates less recoverable deformation and more brittle behavior. The research presents a continuum model that accounts for both ductile and brittle yielding by incorporating the brittility factor. This model successfully predicts the behavior of various YSFs, including gels and glasses, under different loading conditions. The model's predictions align with experimental data from multiple rheological protocols, demonstrating its general applicability. The study highlights the importance of the britttility factor in determining the rate of yielding and provides a framework for understanding the effects of different loading conditions on soft materials. The model is validated using data from experiments on materials such as Carbopol 980, Xanthan gum, and concentrated Ludox. The results show that the model accurately predicts the stress overshoots, delayed yielding, and the steepness of the loss modulus overshoot in amplitude sweeps. The study also demonstrates that the britttility factor can be determined experimentally using AFM measurements of the local modulus, offering a practical method for quantifying the brittleness of YSFs. The findings suggest that the britttility factor is a critical parameter in material design for industrial, environmental, and biomedical applications. By accounting for the interaction between recoverable and unrecoverable deformation, the model provides a unified understanding of the yielding transition in soft materials, independent of microstructural details. This work contributes to the broader understanding of the mechanics of soft materials and offers a new perspective on the design of materials with specific rheological properties.This study investigates the distinction between brittle and ductile yielding in soft materials, introducing a parameter called the "britttility factor" to describe the transition from solid-like to liquid-like behavior. Soft materials, known as yield stress fluids (YSFs), exhibit varying yielding behaviors, with some transitioning gradually and others abruptly. The key rheological signatures of brittle yielding include stress overshoots in steady-shear-startup tests and a steep increase in the loss modulus during oscillatory amplitude sweeps. The study shows that the brittility factor, which reflects the material's ability to recover from deformation, influences the rate of yielding. A higher brittility factor indicates less recoverable deformation and more brittle behavior. The research presents a continuum model that accounts for both ductile and brittle yielding by incorporating the brittility factor. This model successfully predicts the behavior of various YSFs, including gels and glasses, under different loading conditions. The model's predictions align with experimental data from multiple rheological protocols, demonstrating its general applicability. The study highlights the importance of the britttility factor in determining the rate of yielding and provides a framework for understanding the effects of different loading conditions on soft materials. The model is validated using data from experiments on materials such as Carbopol 980, Xanthan gum, and concentrated Ludox. The results show that the model accurately predicts the stress overshoots, delayed yielding, and the steepness of the loss modulus overshoot in amplitude sweeps. The study also demonstrates that the britttility factor can be determined experimentally using AFM measurements of the local modulus, offering a practical method for quantifying the brittleness of YSFs. The findings suggest that the britttility factor is a critical parameter in material design for industrial, environmental, and biomedical applications. By accounting for the interaction between recoverable and unrecoverable deformation, the model provides a unified understanding of the yielding transition in soft materials, independent of microstructural details. This work contributes to the broader understanding of the mechanics of soft materials and offers a new perspective on the design of materials with specific rheological properties.